NASA confirmed it remains on track for the launch of the Artemis 1 Moon mission on November 16.

Artemis 1 is the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — an uncrewed Orion spacecraft — and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will pave the way for a crewed test flight and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.

NASA had postponed the launch thrice due to technical issues.

Why is this programme called Artemis?

The first missions to take astronauts to the Moon were called the Apollo Programme. The first astronauts landed on the Moon in 1969. Artemis is  Apollo’s twin sister and the Goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. 

Artemis 1 sets the stage for human exploration into deep space

• Artemis 1 is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

• The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis 1 is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond.

• During this flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Over the course of the mission, it will travel 450,000 kilometers from Earth and 64,000 kilometers beyond the far side of the Moon. 

• Orion will stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

• This first Artemis mission will demonstrate the performance of both Orion and the SLS rocket and test capabilities to orbit the Moon and return to Earth. 

• With Artemis I, NASA sets the stage for human exploration into deep space, where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. 

Deep Space Exploration System

The Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida are critical to NASA’s exploration plans at the Moon and beyond. 

Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) at Kennedy has the infrastructure to support the systems and facilities necessary to process and launch SLS and Orion. 

Orion spacecraft

The Orion spacecraft is specifically designed to carry astronauts to deep space and is currently the only spacecraft capable of crewed deep space flight and high-speed return from the vicinity of the Moon. 

Orion is composed of three main elements and supporting subsystems. 

They are:

i) Crew module, where astronauts live and work.

ii) Service module, provided by ESA, which will provide power, propulsion, and thermal control. 

iii) Launch abort system, which can pull the spacecraft and crew to safety in the event of an emergency during launch or ascent to orbit.

On deep space missions, both distance and duration dictate the capabilities and advanced technologies needed. 

Artemis 1 will test:

• Orion’s navigation and communications systems beyond the range of GPS and above communication satellites in Earth orbit.

• The radiation sensors and shielding outside the protection of Earth’s magnetic field.

• The world’s largest heat shield during a high speed return from the Moon, at nearly 25,000 mph and temperatures half as hot as the surface of the Sun. 

Space Launch System (SLS)

NASA’s Space Launch System is the world’s most powerful rocket that provides the foundation for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit and is currently the only rocket that can safely send Orion directly to the Moon. 

The main elements are:

i) A central core stage that houses propellant tanks, engines, and avionics.

ii) Four liquid propellant RS25 engines powered by cryogenic, or super cold, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

iii) Two solid-fuel rocket boosters that provide the majority of thrust and steering for the rocket during the first two minutes of flight.

iv) An upper stage fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for in-space propulsion after separation from the core stage.

SLS is designed specifically for deep space missions with humans and will send the Orion spacecraft to the Moon, which is nearly 1,000 times farther than where the International Space Station resides in low-Earth orbit. The rocket will provide the power to help Orion reach a speed of 22,600 mph, to escape the pull of Earth’s gravity and send the spacecraft to the Moon.

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